To my parents, teachers, and readers. This ones for you.
The knock at the door pulls me away from the television. Its late; too late for us to have any guests. I turn down the volume, being the only one downstairs, and debate whether to open the door or wait for whomever it is to knock often enough to wake my parents. The latter option presents itself first when heavy footsteps run down the stairs, and then my dad appears downstairs, his figure a silhouette against the late-hour darkness.
Whos knocking?
Maybe Max forgot his key, I say.
But the moment my dad opens the door, time stops for all of us. A man dressed in blue walks into our house, his face sorrowful. They are speaking so quietly I cant make out a single word but Id have to be pretty dense not to realize something seriously bad has happened.
The way my fathers expression falls and his face turns white makes goose bumps rise on my skin, and the strain in his voice as he calls for my mom makes my hands shake.
Why is Max not home? Why is there a cop here with his hat respectfully held in his hands and not in place on his head? Why does my dad appear like hes about to cry?
My mom comes down the stairs with the same worried look on her face that I have on mine. My dad talks to her, holding her calmly while he speaks.
For a second after he finishes, it looks as though his arms around her is the only thing holding her up. But then he starts talking to her again, his expression sterner as he speaks. Then their eyes suddenly land on me, and the second I meet their gaze, I know what happened.
Max is gone. My brother is gone.
Suddenly, my rapidly beating heart stops, and I dont think Ive ever truly felt it beat the same way since. My breathing grows heavy and fast and my vision blurs with tears. My parents run into the room to hold me, but my body has gone numb and I can barely feel their touch.
Were so sorry, Scarlet.
It will be okay, Im so sorry.
Small nothings to reassure me that its going to be all right. Empty words to create the facade of strength and stability even though they were just told that their only son is dead. All too soon the officer comes in, using a hushed voice again as he pulls my father into another room.
I dont know how long he talks to my father while my mom and I cry in one anothers arms, but soon the two of them come back. Though my mind is clouded with heartbreak and my eyes are glossy with tears, I notice how their expressions have changed.
It was a motorcycle accident, the officer begins, and my dad nods along, chin quivering as he bites back his tears.
The driver of an eighteen-wheeler was drunk. He rounded the corner over on Boundary Lane, you know how bad the blind spot there is... Im so sorry. Max died on impact; I was told he was never in pain.
He speaks as though what hes saying is supposed to make me feel better. As though hearing that my brother was plowed down by an eighteen-wheeler will make this easier somehow. As though there could be worse news, and this should come as a blessing.
All I know is that my brother is gone.
Looking in from the outside, it would appear that high school has really been the best four years of my life. Every day people in our small town see the muscled arm of our schools star quarterback wrapped around me and friends surrounding me on all sides. The view from the outside, however, only scrapes the surface of who I, Scarlet, really am. The inside paints a much different picture; a picture that only my eyes see.
My boyfriend, Jack Dallas, captain and quarterback of our football team, is on his way to becoming an NFL superstar. Hes got three state titles and has offers from colleges up and down the East and West Coasts. All the girls at school, including me, drool over his looks, southern charm, and the gentle accent that makes his voice sound sweet as honey. By chance, he and I hit it off from the beginningI was just a girl in the crowd at his football game and he was just a player looking for a cute girl to give the winning ball to. After that, he and I clicked, and I waited for the day he would finally ask me to be his girlfriend, which took weeks of agonizingly flirtatious just friend hangouts. When he finally did ask me out, everyone at school called us the Cinderella Story couple of Royal Eastwood High School, just like the movie with Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray.
It happened moments after he and the rest of the Royal Eastwood Warriors won the play-off game last season against our rivals, the West Side Knights. I was in the stands with the rest of the student body, soaked to the core from the torrential downpour that started during the second half of the game. No one wanted to leave because we were down by only one touchdown. With seconds left, Jack ran the ball into the end for the win. The crowd went ballistic because we were going to the state championships; we were yelling and screaming his name, and amid all the chaos, he ran into the bleachers to find me, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me. After that, we became the it couple.
Even now, sitting in the middle of the crowded cafeteria during lunch, all eyes are on us. Jack moves his arm from my shoulders down to my waist as he laughs with his best friend and go-to wide receiver, Bryce. I look at Jack and get caught up in his perfect smile. His teeth shine, his jawline is sharp, and his bright-blue eyes are slightly narrowed, yet they still find a way to sparkle.
Nah, bro, I totally shotgunned mine faster than you! Bryce says, slapping Jack on the back while talking about the party a few nights ago.
Are you kidding, Bryce? I had mine crushed before you were even halfway through! Jack says.
I had three before that. Hell, dude, I went to my car to do another instead of taking my test first period.
Bryce, how do you expect to take over your parents law firm if the only thing you do is try to beat people in drinking competitions? I ask.
Im not worried about it, Scar. Its not like my parents have anyone else to give it to. Being the only child has its benefits. Im only seventeenright now its all about partying hard.
Same. I bombed my econ test last week, but my dad didnt care. Im getting the company no matter what, one of the girls in our group, Katie, says.
I tune out the rest of their ridiculous conversation; its all posturing and bragging. Royal Eastwood is known for educating the richest teenagers in the area. We come from a wealthy section of TexasConroe County, about forty miles outside of Houston. We are known for Lake Conroe, where the wealthiest students live the waterfront lifestyle.
Living in a richer county leads to an expensive lifestyle, and going to a high school with wealthy kids feeds into that way of life. Everyone in Jacks clique has parents who own a major businesshis dad owns the Houston Texans football team. And because they are all so rich, not a single one of them tries in school, as Katie summarized with her entitled econ comment. They have some sort of weird mind-set that they dont have to try to succeed in life.
They dont know it, but Im top twenty in our class. Yes, my parents have a family-owned business, too, Tucker Autoa chain of auto shops spanning the Midwestand my dad intends to give it to me when he retires, but my parents would kill me if I let my GPA drop too low. Not to mention I like the satisfaction of getting an A on a test or seeing the pleased look in my teachers eyes when I answer a question correctly.